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Sunday, 8 November 2009

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Grand Canyon in snow

The Grand Canyon is in the State of Arizona in the USA. It is a steep gorge created by the Colorado River over six million years ago. The canyon is 446 Km long while the width is between 6.4 Km and 29 K. The depth is about 1.83 Km. Now it is a National Park. Before the European immigration, native Americans had their settlements in the caves of Grand Canyon.

Last December, I got an opportunity to go to USA. One of my father's friends had invited us there. So we went to Los Angeles during our December vacation. My father's friend had organised a tour for us to visit Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon.

Our trip to Las Vegas from Los Angeles took three hours. On the way we saw roads, trees and mountains covered with snow just as we have seen in Christmas cards. It was a very beautiful sight. This type of winter snow fall had not been experienced in this area for the last 30 years. Most of the Americans were having fun and enjoying themselves out in the open. Our drive to the hotel for dinner took a longer time than expected because the roads were covered with snow and were being shovelled.

The hotel we went to in Las Vegas was MGM Grand Hotel. It is the biggest hotel there. The next morning we set off to the Grand Canyon. It was a three hour journey as well. On the way we saw a lot of snow. We visited the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River which is a major hydro power generating project. On our way we saw a cyoti, an eagle and a lot of elk. That was the first time our driver, who did this trip often, had seen those animals.

At the Grand Canyon I had lots of fun in the snow. We went to an edge of a mountain and saw the beautiful Grand Canyon. We were told that the Grand Canyon in the Arizona desert is a hot, dry place surrounded by red and brown mountains and the gorge itself is dark in colour. We could not get a glimpse of this aspect of the gorge because it was covered with snow and mist. We took many pictures of it to show our friends. It was beautiful because the whole Canyon was covered with snow and our friends had not seen this though they were residents of USA for many years.It was a wonderful experience and a memory to treasure always. Charana Cumaranatunga, Form III,Stafford International College, Colombo 7.


Man's best friend

The dog is a loving companion to man. He keeps watch over his master's house and does not allow anyone to take away and sometimes even touch anything belonging to his master. He will bark when a stranger approaches the house and might even bite a thief who is not frightened off by his bark. A dog is loyal and faithful to his master. Nothing will induce him to leave his master. His master might be a poor man or even a beggar, but still, his dog will not leave him to go with anyone else. A dog worships his master as if he is God.

A dog is useful in catching thieves and criminals. The thief may hide anywhere, yet the dog will use his keen sense of smell to find out where the thief is hiding. A dog has a sharp sense of hearing and smell. It can hear footsteps from a great distance. At night he will be up and about at the slightest noise. He can smell his master from far off. He will rush out of the house to jump on his master and welcome him home, warmly.

A friend is one who is ready to help a man in his moments of need. So, a dog is really man's best friend because he is prepared to die rather than allow any harm to come to his master. Dogs have been known to have sacrificed their lives to save their masters. A dog may even die of grief after his master's death. He is certainly a true and faithful friend, and it is right to call him 'man's best friend.' Praveenya de Silva, Grade 8, Good Shepherd Convent, Panadura.


Your poems

Legendary Prince

You're always in my heart...

I was just a little girl,
When I first heard about you,
I can remember that,
You were on a illuminated stage,
Doing your moon walk....
Wow! What a wonderful performance,
And I can tell that,
You're the best entertainer in the world.

You taught us,
How to care about nature,
You taught us,
How to heal the world,
And you loved, and you helped,
All the people and the world,
That's the reason you obtained,
The whole world's love, glory and praise.

But alas!
Glitzy, bubbly Michael Jackson,
You are no more in the world.....
Everything is gone, too soon,
But, Legendary Prince,
You are always in my heart,
Your death is only a sunset,
And one day in the future,
You'll rise up again, like another star,
For the entire world.... P.G. Dinusha Dilhani Polgollage, Grade 11A, Somadevi Balika Vidyalaya, Kotikawatte.

 

 

 

 


Protect our feathered beauties

Birds are a wonderful gift of nature. They make our environment beautiful. Our country is home to many rare birds. Some of which are endemic. Birds aren't generally dangerous, but some birds of prey could be harmful. They are a attraction to both local and foreign tourists. Foreigners especially like to watch birds in their natural habitats. In our country, there are birds sunctuaries in Kumana and Atthidiya. Bird lovers could also watch plenty of bird species in forests, national parks and even in home gardens.

There are about 417 bird species in our country and among them, 169 species are migrant birds. These migrant birds visit our country when it is the winter season in their countries. Normally they migrate to our country between August and October. Some of them stay here for about six months and fly back to their countries with the onset of summer. They start their journey back home by April or May. Many threatened species of birds too are found in our country. The Ceylon jungle fowl is one of the birds that is endemic to our country.

It is true that we do not protect our environment the way our forefathers did. Today it is hard to find people who really love and care for nature; trees, animals and birds. Because of various human activities, many species of birds along with other animals are in danger.

Birds are like our friends. We must try to conserve the environment and protect their habitats. As children we too can do something to protect birds for the future, because they're a part of nature. So, let's make an effort to preserve birds!


Hikkaduwa

Hikkaduwa is one of the most beautiful seaside resorts in Sri Lanka. It is world famous for its coral reefs and wide beach.

Hikkaduwa which was a quiet seaside fishing town three decades ago, is now a hive of activity. Hundreds of seaside resorts and hotels dot the beach.

Sri Lanka is fortunate to have long stretches of coral reef which are away from the beach. The pounding waves break on the coral reefs and prevent the erosion of the coast.The coral reefs are fascinating. They are made of skeletons of millions of tiny coral polyps. They take hundreds of years to grow, but unfortunately they are easily destroyed by careless shore dwellers, fishermen and tourists.

Hundreds of thousands of different creatures live in these coral reefs. Tourists from all over the world come to swim around the reefs, under the water and view the many brightly coloured corals with their different patterns.

This is one of the biggest tourist attractions. You can view the corals in the sea by going in fibreglass bottomed boats. Hikkaduwa also has its own handicraft villages where craftsmen turn out beautiful works of art using coconut leaves, husks and shells. They are famous for their ornaments, hats, fans, mats, vases and wall hangings. Beeralu lace making is also one of their popular crafts. The tourists are fascinated by them.

Hikkaduwa is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Sri Lanka and helps earn a lot of foreign revenue for the country.

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